


for a spin

by thunderylee



Category: KAT-TUN (Band), Kanjani8 (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, Future Fic, M/M, Romance, side jin/rina, spawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-21
Updated: 2011-02-21
Packaged: 2019-01-28 12:10:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12606324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: After ten years of being MIA, Ueda runs into the most unlikely person on the train.





	for a spin

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck. written for ryoda_love ficolate 2011.

“If someone had asked me ten years ago if I’d be sitting in a cafe, willingly eating lunch with you, I would have told them to put down the crack.”

Ueda laughs into his tea, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “What made you suddenly think about that?”

“Ryota told me yesterday he wants to dye his hair blond,” Ryo says. “It made me remember.”

Ueda calmly puts down his cup and offers Ryo a pointed look. “If my memory serves me right, we _both_ made that mistake.”

“I don’t know if I should rely on your memory,” Ryo teases. “You _are_ getting up there. Forty is just around the corner.”

“For you and me both,” Ueda replies, holding up his cup in toast.

Ryo grabs his glass of water and clinks. “To being dirty old men!”

Ueda just laughs and takes a sip. Their food arrives and they eat silently, or as silently as two men can manage while slurping udon. It’s a sunny winter day, although the sky is misleading with how cold it is outside. Ryo had insisted on eating out on the patio, but now he’s starting to reconsider his decision. Ueda doesn’t seem bothered, but he’s also layered like a European rock star.

“Do people even recognize you still?” Ryo asks, pulling his coat closer around him. “I usually just wear a hat and I’m good.”

The frames of Ueda’s sunglasses dip down to expose wiggling eyebrows. “Incognito~” he says in this low voice, and Ryo snorts into his noodles. “Koki told me he still gets molested on the train, so I don’t take any chances.”

“That pervert probably likes it,” Ryo says with a wicked grin. “He had all those rumors about transsexuals and whatnot.”

Ueda scoffs. “If we’re going to believe the rags, you’re gay, a drunk, and sleeping with half of Japan.”

“Two out of three ain’t bad,” Ryo jokes, and Ueda gives him a knowing look. “Okay, one.”

The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, like they’ve been friends this entire time. Ryo entertains the idea, wonders if it would have even been possible to hold on to anything they could have built before what would come to be known as the Fall of the KAT-TUN Empire. Ryo was there when it all went down – Jin left first, as everyone knows, but Kame was right behind him. There was never any official word of what the youngest member’s problem actually was, just that he stormed out of a meeting and broke his contract the easiest way he could – by becoming an AV actor.

Shortly after that, NTT debuted as a brand new group that is still active today, and Ueda disappeared from the spotlight. No one had seen him since, until the other day when Ryo’s son sat next to him on the train. They’d chatted, neither knowing who the other was, and when Ryo greeted them at the platform, the two adults had stared at each other for so long that Ryota turned his iPod back on and played a game on his phone.

“Looks like we’re both good at keeping secrets,” was the first thing Ueda said, and Ryo invited him out to lunch.

“So what’s the kid in Tokyo for?” Ueda asks now, keeping his voice down.

Ryo appreciates the thought. “Time to apply for high school.”

Now Ueda chokes on his noodles. “ _High_ school? He didn’t look that old. That makes him-”

“Fourteen,” Ryo supplies. “I know you know how to do math. He was born while NEWS was on hiatus.”

Ueda’s jaw drops a little, and Ryo laughs at the way a noodle falls right out of his mouth and back into the bowl. He’s forgotten how fun it was to bombard people with the news of his illegitimate son – everyone he would trust with the information has already known for years. Ironically, this includes half of KAT-TUN, just not the U.

“Allow me to answer your questions,” Ryo goes on, pretending to count on his hand with each one. “She’s an old girlfriend from my hometown, we’re still friends, I pay her child support, and I see him when our schedules match up. If he picks a school out here, he’ll come live with me, and I don’t give a shit who finds out. I’m getting too old to keep hiding like this.”

Ueda opens his mouth a couple times, closing it without any sound coming out, and Ryo swallows an urge to bring back the ‘fish lips’ joke. Probably bad timing.

“He’s a very nice young man,” Ueda finally says. “Very polite and personable.”

“Yeah, he must get that from his mother,” Ryo says, and they laugh.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Ueda comments fondly.

Ryo’s laughter dies as he regards the man sitting across from him. “I can’t say the same for you, but to be fair, I didn’t know you well enough to pass judgment.”

The hope in Ueda’s eyes says that it’s never too late to start over, and while Ryo has never been a firm believer in fate or destiny, he knows that this isn’t the last time the two of them will coexist like this.

~

“Excited to be a father again?” Yamapi asks as he sits in the middle of an empty room, surrounded by bits and pieces of what will eventually be a loft bed.

“I’ve been a father this whole time,” Ryo informs him, eyeing the contents of the IKEA box and approaching his longtime friend. “You better let me do this, Pi.”

Naturally, the third of their trio stays out of the way, nursing a beer while thumbing through the discarded paperwork. As the only Y chromosome in his household, Akanishi Jin is just happy to be around men, even if Ryo would bet money that Jin is biting his tongue not to tell them they’re doing it wrong because _he_ read the directions.

Yamapi’s still a bachelor and Ryo was never technically married, so the pair of them start poking screws into boards that look like they match the picture on the box. It involves a lot of arguing and grunting and sending Jin for more beer, but eventually they get the ensemble constructed, complete with the desk that fits beneath it.

Jin looks like he’s waiting for the whole thing to fall down, but all he says is, “What’s with the lion?”

On the front door of Ryota’s future bedroom, there is a big sign shaped like a lion head with a fiery mane that says ROAR BEFORE ENTERING. Ryo thought it was funny, but also appropriate given the old nickname he had for his son when he was younger.

“He’s a Leo,” Ryo informs them.

“He’s also fourteen,” Yamapi points out. “Don’t you think that’s a little childish?”

“Yeah,” Jin agrees, like his daughters aren’t eight and under. “I mean, I actually remember being fourteen.”

“I remember both of you being fourteen,” Yamapi adds, then widens his eyes. “Oh, shit. I hope he’s not like us.”

“He’s nothing like we were,” Ryo assures them. And himself. “He’s incredibly handsome like I was, of course, but he’s grown to be very quiet and keeps to himself. Smart, too. He wants to be a lawyer.”

“Definitely didn’t get that from you,” Jin comments, and Ryo doesn’t bother to smack him. “Was it Aoyama he decided on?”

“Yeah,” Ryo replies. “And yes, I’ve already contacted Shige. He was thrilled to learn that my kid might be in his class. Promised me he wouldn’t go easy on him.”

“Shige’s turned into a hardass,” Yamapi interjects. “If I’d had him as a teacher, he would have failed me.”

Ryo smirks proudly, but before he can say anything, his phone rings in the main room.

“That’s probably Kira,” he mutters, speaking of his son’s mother. “She’s been calling me non-stop for the past week, freaking out about one thing or another related to the move. Jin, you’re good with women, will you calm her down?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jin says with no argument, and Ryo thinks that the oldest of their trio really has been married too long when he just gets up and walks away.

Yamapi takes the opportunity to nudge Ryo in the arm. “So whipped, that one.”

“Seriously,” Ryo replies. “Your sister has really done a number on him.”

“Yeah, but he’s good for her,” Yamapi says fondly. “Surprisingly.”

Laughing, Ryo climbs the ladder to the loft bed to test it out. There’s no mattress yet, but he bounces a few times anyway. Nothing gives, and Ryo is fully planning on rubbing it in Jin’s skeptical face as soon as he returns to the room.

Except that he’s not alone. Jin has a smug look that is _almost_ reminiscent of his KAT-TUN days, which is an accurate comparison being that the other vowel in the group is the one to follow him. Yamapi chokes on his beer, and Ryo stops bouncing abruptly.

“Yo,” Ueda greets them, coolly, his rose-tinted glasses lowering as he surveys the loft bed. “It’s crooked.”

“It is?” Yamapi rushes to ask, overlooking the awkwardness of this arrangement in favor of his pride. “Dammit, Ryo. It _is_ crooked.”

Ryo just blinks. “What are you doing here?”

“I happened to be in the area, so I called,” Ueda explains. “Akanishi answered the phone and gave me directions.”

Jin’s expression leaves no doubt in Ryo’s mind how amused he is right now. Ryo imagines that this is his payback for every time Ryo’s ever made fun of him for having a curfew or a drink limit. Even just seeing Jin and Ueda standing next to each other takes Ryo back a decade to when Jin was thinner and they all worked together.

“How’ve you been?” Ueda asks Jin, nodding towards his wedding band. “I heard you got married and made your own all-girl pop group. Congratulations.”

Jin _beams_. Ryo can’t see below his shoulders, but he knows that Jin’s reaching for his wallet. “There’s only four right now, but Rina might be pregnant again. I have school pictures-”

He’s cut off when Yamapi beans him in the head with one of the little IKEA tools. “What the fuck, Jin? You didn’t tell me that! How many times are you going to knock up my baby sister?”

“Get fixed already,” Ryo grumbles as he stretches and grazes the ceiling with his hands. “The world can only handle so many Akanishis.”

Ueda just flips through the pictures. “They all look like you, but you were always prettier as a girl.”

“Thanks,” Jin says proudly, and Ryo wonders if he knows he’s being insulted. “Did you get married yet?”

Ueda’s laugh is exactly how Ryo remembers it, one of the few things he took with him from the old days. “No, I’ve never been married,” he says. “And I don’t think I ever will.”

“Aw, Tatchan, don’t be like that,” Jin says through his pout, draping an arm around Ueda’s shoulders. “Pi here is just a few years younger than you, and there’s still hope for him to find some poor woman to put up with his shit.”

Yamapi nods eagerly, offering a thumbs-up as he chugs his beer.

“That’s not what I mean,” Ueda starts, but then the wood board underneath Ryo creaks and drops out from under him.

The desk wouldn’t have been such a bad fall; Ryo would rather have a bruised ass than a bruised ego from being _caught_ by someone who was once his unofficial nemesis.

“Are you okay?” Ueda asks, entirely too close as Ryo is basically in his arms, not letting go even after he sets Ryo down on the desk.

Thankfully, Jin and Yamapi look equally concerned. “I knew it wasn’t put up right,” Jin’s rushing to chide. “The directions showed a few extra steps before nailing that big piece.”

“Screw the directions-” Ryo begins.

“What if that had been your son?” Ueda interrupts. “And there was something sharp on the desk?”

Ryo’s eyes grow big. “You’ve made your point, Ueda.”

“Tatsuya,” Ueda corrects him, still too close. “Lately I’ve preferred to be called by my first name.”

“Tatsuya,” Ryo tests it out, noticing how his tongue runs over the syllables. He’s known many people named Tatsuya in his life, but somehow this one is spoken differently. “Thanks,” he adds.

“You’re welcome.”

Finally Ueda steps back, giving Ryo room to hop down as the four of them assess the damage. Jin already has the directions in his hand, presumably thinking of the best way to go about starting over, and Ryo leaves them to it.

“I’ll go get take-out,” Ryo offers. “Ue- Tatsuya, what do you like?”

“I ate already,” Ueda politely declines, “but I’ll go with you.”

Jin meets Ryo’s eyes, and Ryo quickly looks away. “That’s not necessary-”

“We need more beer anyway,” Jin speaks up. “If Tatchan is going to be drinking with us.”

Ueda raises an eyebrow at Ryo, questioningly, and Ryo sighs. “Fine.”

The walk to the corner is silent, both men blowing into their own hands to warm themselves up in the cold winter air. Ryo pays for the food while Ueda insists on paying for the beer, both carrying their respective burdens on the return trip.

“I like the lion,” Ueda breaks the silence. “It’s appropriate.”

Ryo eyes him. “What do you know about that?”

Ueda just exhales, although Ryo can swear he sees a hint of a smile. “On the train, he told me that his dad gave him a nickname based off of an old Disney movie. I didn’t make the connection until I saw the sign on his door.”

Ryo grunts. “He’s a Leo.”

There’s no response until they reach the door of Ryo’s building. Ueda shifts the case to his other hand and holds open the door. “After you, Mufasa.”

Ryo glares all the way up the stairs, and Ueda’s soft laughter echoes behind them.

~

It takes two weeks for Ryota to get settled in at Aoyama Senior High, enough to throw a very obvious party one weekend while Ryo’s filming Janiben on location.

“Do I look like I’m stupid?” he approaches the younger – yet taller – version of himself in the kitchen.

Ryota looks like he wants to answer that question unfavorably, but shakes his head instead.

“This isn’t going to work if I can’t trust you,” Ryo lectures, letting the disappointment show on his face. “I’m gone a lot for my job and part of the deal was that you’re responsible enough to stay here by yourself. Do you want to go back to Osaka?”

Ryota shakes his head. His hair is long for a boy; Ryo’s been after him to cut it since he arrived. It only bothers him because when Ryota hangs his head, Ryo can’t see his eyes.

“You’re grounded until summer hols,” Ryo says. “You are to go straight to school and back, no cell phone, and I’ll be appointing someone to stay here when I have to go out of town.”

Ryota’s eyes widen. “Summer is three months away!”

“I know,” Ryo says. “Think about this the next time you want to make a fool out of me.”

He starts to turn away, but Ryota lifts his head and Ryo is halted by an exact replica of his own expression of teenage angst. “It doesn’t matter if you’re here or not,” Ryota says darkly.

Ryo folds his arms. “What do you mean?”

“I only moved here for school,” Ryota mutters. “You haven’t been a father to me my whole life, so now isn’t any different. I don’t have to make a fool out of you, because you’ve been one since before I was even born. A smart man would have stayed with my mother and me.”

Seconds pass. Ryo’s first impulse is to raise his hand, but he’s too _hurt_ to be angry. “Go to your room,” he says evenly. “And give me your phone.”

Ryota whips out his plain black flip phone, which matches the one Ryo has in his pocket. He remembers when Ryota was ten, Kira told Ryo that their son wanted a cell phone, and Ryo thought he was too young. _Kids these days are growing up faster than we did_ , Kira insisted, and Ryo added another phone to his plan. It wasn’t a gift or part of their child support agreement – he just did it.

He powers off his son’s phone – without any covers or charms, just like his dad’s – while Ryota shuffles down the hallway, not stomping or showing any signs of strong emotion. He’s not picking up his feet, a bad habit Ryo had as a kid, and the comparison makes Ryo smile despite the hurtful accusation. He remembers being fourteen and saying mean things to his parents when he got in trouble; now he has a strong urge to call his own father and apologize for being such a little shit, even though many years have passed since then and they’ve been on good terms for awhile.

He ends up calling Kira, speaking in a low voice and doing everything except coming straight out and asking if he’d done the right thing. He doesn’t know much about parenting, just what he’s learned from his siblings and friends, but he knew that this wouldn’t be easy. At the very least, though, he wanted Ryota to respect him.

Kira makes him feel a little better, telling him that Ryota’s been testing her for awhile and it comes with his age. She approves of the punishment, even if she feels it’s a little harsh, but agrees that it was necessary for Ryo to lay down the law early so that his son didn’t walk all over him. Even if the atmosphere will be tense for the next couple months.

Ryo’s punishment turns out to be more of an inconvenience than a lesson; Kanjani8 may not tour anymore, but they have variety shows and side projects that keep Ryo out until late. He ends up leaving Ryota home alone during the week, hooking up a house phone and requiring that Ryota call and leave a voicemail every hour on the hour until he goes to sleep. A studious kid like that wouldn’t party on a school night, anyway, which is more than Ryo can say for his own teenage counterpart.

On the weekends, Ryo solicits his friends. Jin jumps at the chance to get out of the house, but he ends up playing video games with Ryota and spending most of the night getting yelled at on the phone by his wife. Yamapi was never an option since he asked if Ryota was old enough to drink yet, and Hina’s boys tore up the apartment even with their mother there with them.

Ryo’s about to ship his son off to Jin’s estrogen zoo when he remembers Ueda. “Are you working this weekend?” he asks up front, feeling like he should already know the answer.

“My work is flexible,” Ueda answers. He sounds calm, surrounded by silence like he’d just been sitting in a chair enjoying the evening until his phone rang. “Do you need something?”

Somehow it’s shameful to admit to Ueda that he can’t find anyone to chaperon his son, so he dances around the reasons behind the punishment and offers to stock the fridge with whatever Ueda wants while he’s gone.

“That’s not necessary,” Ueda replies. “I would love to talk to your son again. We had such a pleasant conversation on the train, although I’m sorry to hear that he’s troubled you already.”

It’s such a nice thing to say that Ryo can’t help but let his guard down, speaking to him like he would speak to Jin or Yamapi. “I really appreciate this, Tatsuya.”

“Not at all,” Ueda dismisses. “Friday, then? What time does he get out of school? Aoyama, right? I can meet him there.”

Ryo realizes right then that Ueda doesn’t have a key to his apartment. Why would he? They’ve only been acquaintances for a few months. “I’m not sure if he has cram school or not on Friday,” is all he says. “I’ll ask him and get back to you. Thanks again.”

He hangs up before Ueda can be any _nicer_ and bangs on Ryota’s closed door. He considers roaring, as per the instructions on the sign, but they’re still not on great terms. “Do you have cram on Friday?” he yells over the rock music.

“No,” Ryota replies, and Ryo jumps as the door is opened and his own face stares blankly down at him. “Is Uncle Jin staying the weekend again? If so, is it okay if I just sit in my room? It’s really annoying when we’re trying to play a game and his wife keeps calling.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Ryo grumbles, remembering why they don’t bring Jin to the bars anymore. “Do you remember Ueda-san? The man from the train?”

Ryota’s eyes light up. “The cool one? Is he coming to stay with me?”

“Yes,” Ryo replies, swelling with pride at being able to please his son for once, even if he’s still in trouble. “He hasn’t spent a lot of time here, so you’ll have to help him find things.”

“That’s fine,” Ryota says in a rushed voice, looking more excited than Ryo’s seen him since he’s been a teenager. “Can he pick me up from school? The other kids will be jealous if they see me leave with someone like him.”

Ryo narrows his eyes. “I’m cool, too, you know.”

“Yeah…” Ryota trails off, looking sheepish. “I guess.”

In response, Ryo grabs his guitar and plops down on the couch. It’s not a popular song of his, or even one that’s special to the two of them, but Ryota knows the words and sings along as he perches on the arm and sways in time to the beat. Ryo sees in him a lot of himself, a little bit of his mother, but mostly his own person, from the way he holds his head to the bass voice that pours out in perfect harmony with his old man’s.

As he strums his guitar and sings freely with his son, Ryo finally feels like a father.

~

“So how’s the _baby-sitter_ working out?” Jin asks with wriggly eyebrows as he hands Ryo a can and pops open his own.

The gesture would have been effective if he didn’t have two pigtailed little girls crawling all over him, and if the cans weren’t full of root beer. Regardless, Ryo drinks it and pretends not to notice Jin’s oldest staring dotingly at him from down the hall.

“He’s not a baby-sitter,” Ryo replies. “Sometimes I think Ryota likes him more than me.”

Jin nods. “That’s probably true.”

The girls squeal when Ryo whacks their dad in the head. “You’re supposed to disagree!”

“I can’t lie in front of my daughters!” Jin exclaims with this scandalized expression like Ryo had just suggested he go kick a puppy. “If you want comfort, go to Pi.”

“Pi doesn’t know anything about kids,” Ryo grumbles. “That’s why I braved the Akanishi harem.”

“Stop calling it that,” Rina nags from the kitchen, and Ryo seriously wonders if she has every room in this house tapped. “And you two can move your male bonding in here. I don’t do this barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen shit.”

“I love you,” Jin says as they relocate, kissing his wife first on the forehead, then her protruding belly. “And I love you too, little boy Akanishi.”

“We don’t know that yet,” Rina tells him, smiling at his fallen face. “I hope it’s a boy, too, but history has taught us that your Y chromes just can’t swim.”

Jin frowns, and Rina pokes the end of the spatula in his chest. “Stir every five minutes.”

“How would you feel if some other dude came into your kid’s life and took your role model card away?” Ryo asks as she leaves.

“First of all, he’s not a role model,” Jin replies, his voice stern as he stirs the curry sauce properly. “Ryota-kun is going to be a lawyer, not an idol. Tatsuya just has this air of mystery about him that makes people want to spend time with him, to figure him out. I hadn’t seen him for _years_ before that day at your place. I couldn’t even tell you what he’s doing now.”

“I don’t know either,” Ryo admits. “Just that his work is flexible. Maybe he works from home?”

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Jin shrugs. “At any rate, he’s not a _bad_ influence. You kind of missed the whole ‘Daddy hangs the moon’ stage in Ryota-kun’s life, unfortunately.” He looks longingly into the other room, where his girls are in various stages of winding down for the night. “I’m enjoying that stage while I can, trust me.”

Ryo follows his gaze and imagines three teenage girls and one pre-teen, fighting and shrieking and liking _boys_ , and feels an inkling of pity for Jin in another ten years.

“I was thinking of letting up Ryota’s punishment early,” is all he says. “He’s been really good, not mouthing off or anything, doing his chores, and his grades are normally better than mine ever were.”

“That would be nice of you,” Jin says. “I’m the wrong one to talk to about discipline, though. These girls smile and they get whatever they want out of me.”

“Including the big one,” Ryo adds with a smirk, cringing in case Rina overhears and throws something at him. “I was tempted to be lenient with him, especially after all of those years of shipped gifts and sporadic visits, but I remember how my father stayed firm no matter what. That’s what I respected the most about him, you know? Being a father, not my friend.”

“Yeah, see,” Jin points out. “Tatchan is his _friend_. He’s already a good kid, and he likes Tatchan a lot, so Tatchan doesn’t have to punish him. I don’t really think he’s replacing you as a father figure at all.”

“Lifting his punishment means no more weekend chaperons,” Ryo says. “It’s not really a punishment anymore, anyway, because he looks forward to these weekends and even makes a point to get all of his homework done early so that he can hang out. My son’s best friend is an almost 40-year-old ex-idol.”

“What about you?” Jin asks, glancing up after the fact.

Ryo stares at him. “What about me?”

“What is Tatchan to you?”

It takes a second for the question to be processed in Ryo’s mind. He wouldn’t call Ueda a friend, exactly, but he’s not just someone who stays with his kid either. He has a key to Ryo’s apartment, so Ryo has to trust him a lot, and after so many weekends of camping out on the couch, Ryo offered Ueda the use of his bed as long as he changed the sheets before Ryo came back.

“I don’t know,” Ryo answers honestly. “He’s spent more time with my kid than with me since we’ve started talking again.”

“Do you want to spend time with him too?” Jin asks, then scoffs at Ryo’s offended gape. “Don’t look at me like that! It’s a valid question.”

“It’s like you said, I guess,” Ryo replies, trying to sound nonchalant. “Mysterious. I’d like to know what I’m exposing my son to.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” Jin says, giving Ryo a knowing look. “Just think about what’s going to happen after Tatsuya isn’t spending nearly every weekend with your son _for you_.”

Ryo’s irritation fades as he makes sense of this. “What makes you so sure he’s doing it for me?”

“I am constantly surrounded by women,” Jin explains. “Their perception skills have rubbed off on me.”

“Not buying it,” Ryo says.

“Fine.” Jin turns from the stove and fixes Ryo with a hard stare. “I knew him for over ten years. That may not mean anything now, but at one time he was a lost teenager trying to find his place in the spotlight just like the rest of us. And if you tell him this, I’ll kill you, or just beat you really hard with this spatula, but sometimes he wondered why you two couldn’t get along.”

“That was so long ago,” Ryo responds, a bit in disbelief. “Why does any of that matter now?”

Jin shrugs again. “Maybe he sees this as a chance to try again. I don’t know, Ryo, I’m not him. But I can tell you that he’s not just befriending your kid. I may not know what he’s doing now, but whatever it is is better than hanging out with a fourteen-year-old.”

Ryo drops his face into his hands. “How do you manage to make everything complicated?”

As if on cue, Rina returns to the kitchen, smiles politely at Ryo, and fixes Jin with a very pointed look. “Is Ryo-chan staying for dinner, Jin? I wish you would tell me ahead of time so I could be prepared. There’s just enough curry for us to eat tonight and tomorrow night, with lunches for the two older girls. I don’t mind if Ryo-chan eats with us, but you’ll have to make the girls’ lunches in the morning. _You know_ I don’t like us all eating different things at the dinner table.”

Jin stares blankly at Ryo, and Ryo hears the answer to his question loud and clear.

“I won’t be staying, Rina-chan,” Ryo jumps to say, forcing a smile as he claps Jin on the back and hands him the empty soda can. He doesn’t remember where the recycle can is, and he learned his lesson the last time he tried to throw away a can. “I have to get back home so Tatsuya can leave.”

“He’s in no rush to leave, trust me,” Jin tells him, followed by a wink as Rina grabs his arm to stir the curry properly.

“Who is Tatsuya?” Rina asks interestedly. “A new boyfriend, Ryo-chan?”

“No, nothing like that,” Ryo dismisses, glaring when Jin bites back a grin. “It’s a long story, but he stays with my grounded son when I have to work.”

“You pay him?” Rina asks bluntly.

“Rina, that’s not really your busi-” Jin starts, then shuts his mouth when Rina casts sharp eyes towards him.

“He eats my food,” Ryo offers. “He refuses payment.”

“Wow, so nice,” Rina overemphasizes, and Ryo senses that she and her husband are in the same boat here. “Isn’t that _nice_ , honey? I wish we could get people to watch our kids for just food.”

“He’s fourteen – he doesn’t really need watching,” Ryo protests, but he knows it’s a lost argument. “I’m just going to go.”

“Bye, Ryo-chan!” Rina calls after him. “Girls, say good-bye to Uncle Ryo-chan.”

Instantly, there are two miniature female Jins on his legs, while the toddler shrieks at him from her bouncer and the oldest gives him a shy wave. As Ryo leaves, he hopes that Rina is actually having another girl, because he would feel sorry for a boy growing up with four older sisters.

His own apartment is stone silent in comparison, Ryota curled up fast asleep in the armchair while Ueda scrawls in a notebook and doesn’t seem to notice Ryo come home.

“Long night?” Ryo asks gently.

Ueda jumps, then laughs as he closes his notebook and gestures to Ryota. “We stayed up until the sun rose and made breakfast. Only slept for a couple hours, so this shouldn’t disturb his schedule any.”

“It’s fine,” Ryo replies. “He’ll get up for school no matter what. Much more punctual than I was.”

He walks over to the armchair and ruffles his son’s hair. Ryota bats his hand away, then peeks an eye open. “Next time can I stay over at Ueda-san’s house? I want to see his dogs.”

A streak of something unpleasant runs through Ryo’s body – jealousy, maybe – and he pushes the hair out of Ryota’s face instead. “Actually, I was thinking that your punishment should be over. Don’t you think it’s been long enough?”

_That_ wakes Ryota up, his lean frame straightening in the chair as he blinks open big eyes. “ _Really_?”

“Yeah.” Ryo casually glances at Ueda, who looks pleased with the news. Ryo knew Jin was full of it. “Thank you for your generosity, Tatsuya, but now your visits will have to be social.”

Ueda’s face splits into a grin, which looks much different than it did ten years ago. “If I’m invited, I’ll definitely come.”

The question is on the tip of Ryo’s tongue, just a friendly dinner as a token of his appreciation, but he can’t bring himself to speak the words. It doesn’t mean anything if his son is there. Or maybe that makes it mean _everything_.

While Ryo is having an internal battle, Ueda is gathering his bags and saying good-bye to Ryota. They punch knuckles and Ueda tells him to be good, that his dad is trying his best so Ryota needs to too, and Ryo’s heart breaks a little.

“Tatsuya,” Ryo sputters out as Ueda heads for the door.

Ueda looks over his shoulder. “Hmm?”

Ryo swallows. “Thanks again.”

“Anytime,” Ueda replies, and he’s gone.

~

“Dad,” a low voice rouses Ryo, who shifts and realizes he’s on the couch.

“Ah,” Ryo says fondly. “I must have fallen asleep out here.”

“Sorry to wake you,” Ryota continues quietly, like someone is still sleeping. “I just got out of school and was hoping to talk to you about something.”

Ryo shoots up, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair as he pats the couch next to him. “Is it about your grades? Is Kato-sensei being mean to you?”

“No, he’s great, actually,” Ryota replies, seeming a little startled at the question. “I mean, he’s a tough teacher, but that just makes me study harder, you know?”

Ryo doesn’t know, but he nods anyway. “So what is it you want to talk about?”

Ryota blinks. “I’ll make tea.”

Tea. Ryo braces himself for something really, really important. Ryota wants to drop out of Aoyama and move back to Osaka. He wants to drop out of Aoyama and be a rock star. He wants to audition for Johnny’s. He got a girl pregnant. He doesn’t like girls at all.

“It’s about Ueda-san,” Ryota says gently, like the name alone would ignite a fire.

Ryo’s so relieved that he laughs as he accepts the tea. “Oh, Simba, I thought you had something _serious_ to tell me.”

Ryota shoves at Ryo’s arm, embarrassed at the nickname. “He calls you ‘Mufasa’, you know, when he mails with me.”

“He mails with you?” Ryo asks. This is the first he’s hearing of this. “How long as this been going on?”

“Since I was grounded,” Ryota answers. “It’s okay, right? We don’t talk about anything bad. My mails with my friends are much worse.”

Ryo makes a face. “You’re not supposed to tell me that.”

Laughter brings out his smile, which is imitated on his son’s face. “I just wonder why we haven’t seen Ueda-san since my punishment ended. That’s all.”

“Do you want to see him?” Ryo asks. “You’re the one with the wild social life. I can invite him over this weekend, if you want.”

“My social life isn’t _that_ wild,” Ryota contests. “The girl I like’s parents won’t let her date yet, so we’re limited to talking at school.”

Ryo almost spits out his tea. “Girl you like?!”

“Oh, um.” Ryota looks sheepish. “Mom said it was okay to like girls. I mean, not just to _like_ girls, but to hold their hands and carry their books and stuff.”

Ryo blinks. “Did Mom give you the sex talk?” he asks bluntly.

“Yes,” Ryota answers through his hands. “But I already knew.”

“Of course you did.” Ryo drops his own head in his hands. What an awkward pair they make. “Well, be nice to this girl. Treat her with respect.”

“I will,” Ryota says. “Now back to Ueda-san…”

Ryo would gladly talk about Ueda as opposed to his fourteen-year-old son’s love life. “I’ll call him right now. What do you want to do?”

“I thought we could all go out,” Ryota says. “We never _do_ anything, even just you and me. Mom said you didn’t need to hide me anymore.”

“I don’t,” Ryo says firmly. “I don’t care who sees. Even if Ueda-san is there, too.”

What a rumor that would make, Ryo thinks in amusement. _Estranged ex-idol Ueda Tatsuya caught with Kanjani8’s Yellow Ranger Nishikido Ryo – and a teenage boy? Could it be their love child from fifteen years ago? Zero percent chance, indeed._

“What’s so funny?” Ryota asks, interrupting Ryo’s internal tabloid.

“Nothing,” Ryo replies, sipping his tea in an effort to stop laughing. It’s really a funny thought. “I’ll see if Ueda-san is free this weekend, and we’ll do whatever you want.”

The call to Ueda is quick, the other man once again sounding like he has nothing going on aside from answering the phone, and their outing is set for Saturday.

“So tell me about this girl,” Ryo says, leaning back with his tea. “Would I like her?”

His son fixes him with a confused look. “I thought you don’t like girls?”

Ryo chokes on his tea. “What do you know about that?”

“ _Dad_ ,” Ryota says in a knowing voice. “I’m almost fifteen. I know what it means to be gay. I know that’s why you and Mom aren’t married.”

Ryo doesn’t know what to say to that, so he just nods. “Is that so.”

“It’s cool.” Ryota lifts hopeful eyes to his father. “Some kids’ dads don’t come around, or send money, or even acknowledge them. Mine just likes guys. That doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, you know?”

Ryo has the smartest son in the world. “Yeah, I know.”

“Her name is Uehara Sakako,” Ryota begins, his face taking on this expression of sheer happiness as he talks about her. “She’s a year ahead of me, but she lives in the same direction. We started walking to school together while I was grounded. She has long hair and she’s really good at math, like me. She thinks Kato-sensei is good-looking, but I don’t hold that against her.”

Ryo snorts at the dig – definitely his son – and sits back as Ryota babbles on and on about this girl and how amazing she is. If he’s anything like Ryo was at that age, Uehara Sakako will be the first in a long line of crushes that change with the weather. Ryota seems different than him in that respect, though, mostly in regards to Ryo’s idol status at fourteen. While a decent singer, Ryota has no interest in following in his father’s footsteps.

Ryo is glad for that. Maybe one of them can lead a normal life.

~

Somehow, Ryo’s not surprised to meet Ueda in front of the restaurant with no sign of Ryota.

“Did you two not ride together?” Ueda asks, appearing unbothered by the teenager’s absence.

“He had group project work today,” Ryo mumbles apologetically. “He swore he would be free by four.”

Just then, his phone beeps. He meets eyes with Ueda as he pulls the device from his pocket, the timing too perfect to be a coincidence.

_Guess what? Uehara-senpai’s parents agreed to let me take her out!! This is good news, right? =) Sorry I had to bail on you and Ueda-san. I made a reservation at the restaurant, so don’t let it go to waste! ;) ;) From: Simba._

“That sneaky little…” Ryo starts, then notices Ueda raising his eyebrow and shakes his head. “My son ditched us for a girl.”

“Ah, Sakako-chan?” Ueda guesses. “I met her a few times when I picked up Ryota-kun from school. She’s a sweet girl, very shy.”

“Yes, I heard all about her earlier this week.” Ryo smiles in memory. “Ryota and I have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“That’s good,” Ueda tells him. “It’s never too late to make up for lost time.”

His words hit Ryo so hard that he doesn’t notice the hostess asking them for a name, and Ueda starts to say “Nishi-” before Ryo cuts him off with, “Kanagawa.”

“Ah, here you are. Right this way.”

Ueda’s giving him an odd look as they’re seated. “We’re not exactly disguised, Nishikido-kun. You didn’t have to use a fake name.”

Ryo unfolds his napkin and surveys the menu. “I didn’t. It’s my son’s last name.”

He squints at the small print – he should really look into getting reading glasses soon – and notices after a few seconds that Ueda hasn’t said anything.

“Tatsuya?”

“I… I just didn’t know that,” Ueda says slowly, sounding like he’s numb with shock. “I assumed he had your name.”

“He has my first name.” Ryo grins. “It’s awkward for a child to have a different last name than their guardian parent, and we’d already decided that Kira was going to raise him, so he took her name. It worked for everyone.”

Ueda still looks like he was hit with some startling news, but eventually reaches for his menu and frowns at the choices.

“Besides, you can’t know _everything_ about my kid,” Ryo teases him. “You have to leave some of it for me.”

“Sorry,” Ueda replies automatically. “I didn’t mean to-”

“I’m joking,” Ryo interrupts. “I’m glad you two get along so well. I’m the one who should be sorry that he couldn’t make it. You’re stuck with me instead.”

“I’ll deal,” Ueda says, his voice indecipherable. “Want to split an appetizer?”

“Sure,” Ryo answers. “What have you been up to, anyway? I mean, what do you do for work now?”

The waiter shows up then, and Ueda orders their appetizer along with his drink. Ryo orders whatever Ueda’s drinking, rushing to get back to the conversation. In fact, he’s staring so expectantly at Ueda that the older man laughs when he notices.

“That excited to hear about my day job, huh?” Ueda says lightly. “I’m afraid it’s nothing too thrilling. Property management. It’s a living. I’m still in the music industry for fun, just more low key.”

Ryo wants to pry further, but he senses that Ueda doesn’t want to go into details. Even though he’s let this man into his home and trusted him with his son, it seems fitting to let the mysterious ex-idol keep his secrets. For now.

The waiter returns with their drinks, and he’s much more concerned with the _flute_ of bubbly liquid that’s placed in front of him. “What are you making me drink, Tatsuya?”

“You didn’t even listen to what I ordered?” Ueda replies, laughing as he takes his own flute between his fingers. “I felt like having some fine wine today, and here I was thinking you just had good taste in ordering the same.”

Ryo eyes the flute. It looks like champagne, but Ryo knows as much about wine as he does about parenting. At least it’s not pink like the shit Jin made them drink at his anniversary party.

He looks up and sees Ueda holding his glass in a toast. Ryo does the same, although his mind is blank at what to toast to.

“To the future,” Ueda says clearly, and they clink glasses.

The wine goes down warm, and Ryo already knows that he’s going to end up stumbling out of here if they have more than a couple rounds. Even after years of beer and hard liquor, wine hits him hard.

Ueda seems as normal as ever, or as normal as he can be in those rose-colored glasses and a sparkly beret. Ryo saw him so much that he got used to his attire, which is somehow dark and shiny at the same time. His face is still the same, though, even if his lips are too big for his face. It’s comforting.

Ryo feels a little steadier once he gets some food in his stomach. They talk about Ryota and their friends as they eat, laugh at old memories of being juniors, and speculate what the entertainment industry will be like in the years to come. They discuss politics, world news, and the weather, conversation coming as naturally as ever, like they’d been friends this whole time.

They _have_ been friends for a while, Ryo realizes, even if this is only the second time it’s been just the two of them. He feels comfortable with Ueda, more relaxed and loose-lipped, or maybe that’s the wine.

When Ueda smiles and Ryo feels a twist in his heart, he knows that it’s _definitely_ the wine.

~

It feels like thousands of tiny soldiers are marching on his brain as Ryo returns to life, turning to lay on his other side and rolling right onto the floor.

“Nishikido-kun!” Ueda’s voice rushes towards him. “Are you okay?”

Ryo grumbles an incoherent response, pushing himself up with an agonizing groan until he starts at the cold nose that pokes against his face. “Dog,” he gets out.

“You’re on her terrain,” Ueda says, laughing as he stands behind the golden retriever and guides her away from the crumpled man. “Anything on the floor is fair game for my girls.”

Ryo peeks open his eyes to see three more large, furry animals approach him curiously, but he’s too hungover to care if they jump on him. Being licked to death is preferable to moving right now.

“They won’t bite you,” Ueda assures him. “How do you feel?”

“Like ass,” Ryo replies, lifting a shaky arm to pet the head of the first dog that reaches him. “What are their names?”

“Well, don’t laugh,” Ueda replies. “When I had to put my other retrievers down a few years ago, may they rest in peace, I came upon a basket of five purebred puppies. I wasn’t ready for more dogs yet, but things happen for a reason, you know? Anyway, I was feeling sad and nostalgic, so I named them after the other members of KAT-TUN. Right now Maru-chan is in your lap.”

“At least he was the cool one,” Ryo comments, scratching Maru-chan behind the ears. “I only see four, though. Is Jin-puppy lazing around in your bed or something?”

Ueda sits on the couch and places a steaming hot cup of coffee down on the table. “For you,” he says. “And it’s funny you mention Jin, because his namesake ended up being adopted by Kame last year. We dated for awhile, and Jin-chan wouldn’t leave him alone, so she went with him. He calls her Ako-chan, though.”

Thankfully, Ryo hadn’t yet gotten the cup to his mouth when he choked on air. “You and _Kame_?”

“I know, I know.” Ueda sighs like he’s recalling a fond memory. “I thought I could be okay with the whole AV thing, but it turned out that I couldn’t. Who could be okay with his boyfriend fucking other guys? We’re still friends, though. Kame’s always been special to me, even when we were kids.”

“That’s… wow.” Ryo sips the bitter coffee as he processes this information. “I didn’t know you were into men.”

“It’s not something I publicly declare,” Ueda scoffs. “I almost told the three of you when Akanishi made my getting married sound so simple, but then you broke the bed.”

“I know what you mean, about getting married,” Ryo tells him. “That’s the one rumor about me that’s true.”

“I know.” Ueda hides a smile. “Even if your son hadn’t already let it slip, you made it perfectly clear last night.”

Ryo’s head hurts even more when he turns towards Ueda with big eyes. “I didn’t-”

“No, you didn’t,” Ueda tells him firmly. “But you tried.”

“I’m so sorry,” Ryo says, hoping his gruff morning voice sounds sincere enough. “Wine isn’t good for me. I don’t even _remember_ -”

“It’s okay.” Ueda grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him back up to the couch, then smooths the fabric of Ryo’s shirt he’d stretched. “For what it’s worth, I’m flattered.”

Ryo drops his head in his hands. “I feel like shit, Tatsuya, and not just physically. I am really, really sorry.”

“I said it’s okay,” Ueda repeats, clapping him on the back as he moves to stand up. “I already mailed Ryota-kun to let him know you’re here. Oddly enough, he wasn’t that worried when you didn’t come home last night.”

“He wouldn’t be,” Ryo mutters, already dreading Ryota’s knowing look when he gets home. Papa’s little wingman.

“Go take a shower,” Ueda calls out from the kitchen. “I’ll make something that will calm your stomach. I have a spare bag of unopened toiletries that I left out for you. Use whatever you need.”

“Thanks,” Ryo says gratefully, feeling like he doesn’t deserve such kindness from someone he apparently tried to maul last night. A glance in Ueda’s extravagant bathroom mirror tells him that he looks about as great as he feels, and some cleaning up is more than necessary.

When he emerges, the steam follows him out into the hallway like some kind of foggy wake as Ryo towels his hair dry, feeling much more alive. The countertop of Ueda’s kitchen is covered with bowls of rice and breakfast toppings, which Ueda gestures to wordlessly from his spot on the couch.

One of the dogs – Koki, Ryo learns from the yellow collar – bounces around his feet as he fixes his bowl, despite sharp words from her owner. They’re appropriately named, it seems.

Junno sits next to him on the floor, just staring at Ryo as he eats and wagging her tail. This one seems to be less interested in food and more interested in attention. Ryo tries to alternate petting her and feeding himself, and Ueda laughs when Junno pushes her nose into Ryo’s wrist and makes him spill the contents of his chopsticks on his shirt. Helpfully, Maru-chan crawls back into Ryo’s lap and cleans up the mess, curling up at his knees when she’s done.

Over by the entertainment center, Kame’s namesake is clearly pleased with having the large dog bed to herself, sprawling out on her back and jerking every so often in her sleep. Her pink collar shines in the sunlight drifting in through the blinds, and Ryo smiles at the thought. He misses having dogs.

“Maybe I’ll get a puppy now that Ryota’s living with me,” Ryo thinks out loud. “Having a pet taught me responsibility when I was younger.”

“He would like that very much,” Ueda says. “He always wanted to look at pictures of my dogs and hear stories about them.”

“They are quite entertaining,” Ryo admits, giving up on eating so that he can devote both of his hands to petting the persistent Junno and Maru, then Koki when the latter jumps up onto the couch and sniffs at his hair.

“Those three are always inseparable,” Ueda tells him. “It’s like they _know_.”

“Have you kept in touch with them?” Ryo asks suddenly. “I mean, the real ones. You mentioned Koki awhile ago…”

“Yeah, we all mail,” Ueda responds. “I lost contact with Jin, as everyone did, but I never stopped watching them on TV. Any of them, except maybe Kame. He has a blog, though.”

He winks, and Ryo laughs. “Everyone has a blog these days.”

“I don’t,” Ueda points out. “You don’t.”

“We’re old school,” Ryo says. “Most of ex-NEWS is on Twitter now, but I can’t keep up with them. And Kato won’t approve me to read his protected tweets, probably because he bitches about his students.”

“I still see Yamapi around the industry,” Ueda says. “And you with Eito, of course. TegoMasu are still going strong, and Koyama is solely hosting Shokura and doing his news reporting now, right? And Kato’s a teacher at Aoyama?”

“They had a comedy duo for a little while, ‘KoyaShige’,” Ryo tells him. “They never debuted. Kato left the agency completely about five years ago, got his teaching license, and has been at Aoyama ever since. I imagine he loves it more than being an idol, because it gives him control over a whole bunch of impressionable minds.”

Ueda laughs. “It’s interesting how things happen. Fifteen years ago, we thought KAT-TUN and NEWS would be forever.”

“Fifteen years ago, we didn’t speak to each other,” Ryo adds.

“It’s interesting how things happen,” Ueda says again, and Ryo busies himself with the NTT dogs.

~

“Of course I love you,” Jin’s saying into his phone. “You are the beautiful, strong, _amazing_ mother of my children. And I will be home in a few hours, I promise.”

Ryo pulls a few thousand-yen notes out of his pocket and hands them over to Yamapi. “She’s worse this time. He just got here.”

“He has to put the girls to bed before he can leave,” Yamapi whispers as he pockets the money. “And it’s hard for her to sleep without him normally, let alone seven months pregnant.”

Jin frowns at them as he hangs up. “We’ll have to start drinking at my place, guys. She’s hit the third trimester clingy phase.”

Ryo and Yamapi nod knowingly, remembering the last four times. They’re at Yamapi’s penthouse tonight, surrounded by the swank furniture and random art that is the true definition of a bachelor pad. Jin’s nervous because his wife is unstable, Yamapi’s nervous because they’re eating on his leather couch, and Ryo’s nervous because he left his kid at home alone with a girl.

“They’ll be fine,” Jin assures him as he catches Ryo looking at his phone. “Ryota-kun is infinitely more mature than any of us were at his age.”

“How would you feel if that was your daughter?” Ryo barks at him.

Jin visibly twitches. “It’s different with girls.”

“His birthday is coming up, isn’t it?” Yamapi says brightly, obviously trying to change the subject. “Fifteen, wow. I can’t believe it’s been so long since you showed up at my mom’s house with red eyes and a secret.”

“You didn’t tell me for two years,” Jin recalls. “Asshole.”

“I was really fucked up back then,” Ryo explains. “With Uchi and the hiatus and then Kira, I don’t even know how I functioned. Ryota was possibly the best thing that could happen to me, to get me back on track. Since he was born, everything I’ve done has been for him.”

“A man can’t ask for anything else in a father,” Yamapi says darkly.

Jin pats him on the shoulder. “We try our best.”

Ryo’s staring at his phone so hard that he jumps when it actually rings. He knows before he looks at the display that it’s not Ryota, because Ryota prefers to mail him even though Ryo still hates that method of communication. Sure enough, the screen doesn’t read anything close to ‘Simba’.

“Yo,” Ueda’s voice sounds from across the digital line. “Have you made plans for Ryota-kun’s birthday yet?”

“We were just talking about it,” Ryo responds, glaring at Jin and Yamapi’s identical faces of amusement. “That is, Jin and Pi and me. Ryota’s on a date.”

“Ah,” Ueda replies, and Ryo can hear the contentment in his voice. “Sakako-chan, still?”

“Yeah.” Ryo relaxes as he sinks back into the leather with his beer. “She really is a sweet girl. Scared to death of me, though. She barely speaks when I’m around.”

“You have that effect on women, I hear,” Ueda teases. Ryo snorts. “I called because I wanted to offer one of my buildings for his birthday party. My tenant has made it into a nightclub, scheduled to open in the fall, but it’s already passed all of the inspections and everything. Ryota-kun and his friends would be good to test it out.”

“A nightclub?” Ryo repeats. “He’s going to be fifteen, Tatsuya…”

“The bar will serve soda and virgin cocktails, I promise.” Ueda laughs. “My tenant needed an extension on the rent, and I felt this was an adequate trade-off. I’ll just insist that you and some of the other parents attend to avoid any liability.”

Ryo clears his throat. “I’ll talk to him and see if that’s something he wants to do. It sounds great, though. It’s nice of you to offer.”

“Don’t mention it,” Ueda says. “But regardless of his response, will you meet with me sometime? I haven’t seen you since… that night, and I’d rather not leave things like that.”

His honesty takes Ryo by surprise. “I haven’t been avoiding you,” he starts, then notices the other two even more interested in his conversation. “When and where?”

“That’s up to you. My schedule is open.”

“I have meetings all next week about a drama role,” Ryo remembers. “Thursday night? I think Ryota has cram school, though. ”

“That’s okay,” Ueda says. “I would rather it was just us, anyway.”

Ryo pauses. A million different scenarios fly through his head, but before he can decide on one his phone has been lifted from his ear.

“‘Sup, Tatchan?” Jin croons into the device. “What are you doing right now? If you’re not busy, you should come over. We’re just drinking at Pi’s.”

Ryo stares at him, not sure how he feels about drinking with Ueda again, but thankfully the older man appears to decline. He chats to Jin for awhile, and Jin once again laments that his soon-to-be fifth child is “a prude like Nakamaru” and keeps his or her legs closed so that the doctors can’t tell the gender. It’s starting to look like they won’t know until Rina gives birth, which is driving Jin crazy.

“I want a son,” Jin tells Ueda. “I need to restore the hormone balance in my house.”

“It’s going to take more than one boy to do that,” Ryo points out. “Those women have already sucked out all of your testosterone.”

“Do you even grow facial hair anymore?” Yamapi asks, rubbing his hand along Jin’s smooth jaw.

“Rina makes me shave it,” Jin grumbles. “It irritates her skin.”

On the phone, Ueda’s laughter is audible.

“Did you two finish planning your date?” Jin asks casually, smirking at Ryo while speaking into the phone. “I don’t mean to be a cockblock.”

“It’s not a date,” Ryo spits out. At the same time Ueda just says, “I don’t think we did.”

This time Ryo flails his hands a bit as he gapes, but Jin thankfully doesn’t mention it. Ryo ends up with his phone shoved between his head and shoulder, and it takes him a second to compose himself. “Hello?”

“So do you just want to meet at my place?” Ueda offers. “I live closer to the agency, so you won’t have to go all the way home first, and we can just decide where to go from there.”

“I should go home first, actually,” Ryo tells him. “Thursday’s the only day I get out early, but I’m still booked. I won’t be very presentable after all that.”

Ueda laughs. “I don’t care what you look like. It’s not really a date.” He pauses. “Unless you want it to be.”

“That’s, um.” Ryo is quite proud of himself for holding back his squeak of surprise and _not_ flailing his hands again. “How’s six?”

“Six is fine,” Ueda replies. “And I’m kidding, you know. Maybe.”

“See you Thursday,” Ryo says, keeping his voice even until he hangs up the phone and glares at his friends. “Neither of you say a fucking word.”

Jin holds up his hands in mock surrender, and Yamapi just drinks with a smug look on his face.

Ryo drains his beer and stares up at the ceiling. “This is where I tell you that I may actually like the guy.”

“Obviously,” Jin says. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

Ryo flops his arm over his eyes. “The last time I saw him, I got drunk off wine and apparently tried to jump him.”

Both Yamapi and Jin suck in their air and exhale with a dual sympathetic whistle. “And?” Yamapi prompts.

“And he laughed about it in the morning,” Ryo goes on. “I felt really bad, though. I don’t _do_ that.”

“Anymore,” Jin supplies, and Ryo just scoffs. “It’s just Tatchan, Ryo. He doesn’t spend his time with people he doesn’t like, especially now that he’s not being paid to put up with us.”

“He’s right,” Yamapi jumps in. “For what it’s worth, I think you two would be good together.”

Ryo squeezes his eyes shut and covers his face. “Stop it. It’s not like I have a crush on him or anything.”

“But you _do_ have a date with him,” Jin amends. “Right?”

Ryo doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t have to. They all know the truth.

~

When Thursday rolls around, Ryo’s running late and falls in his front door, expecting an empty apartment and planning a whirlwind of preparation in the form of a very quick shower, throwing on whatever matches in his closet, and minimal primping.

What he doesn’t expect is his son leaning casually against the wall, sipping on a juice box with a hair straightener in tow while an entire outfit is laid out on his bed.

“You skipped cram school,” Ryo accuses him.

“This is more important,” Ryota argues, and Ryo finds himself shoved into the bathroom. “You have five minutes. Clean everything that he might see.”

Ryo nearly trips into the shower as he undresses. “You’re too young to be saying things like that!”

“Less talking, more washing!” Ryota yells through the door.

Grumbling, Ryo follows directions and emerges five minutes later considerably cleaner. He half expects Ryota to dress him, but he’s left on his own to hop into the dark slacks and button up the striped shirt. There’s also a casual blazer and a tie, but that may be a little much.

He lets Ryota do his hair, noticing that it’s time for a haircut when his bangs end up in his eyes like they did when he was required to wear them that way. Ryo runs a hand over his chin and only feels a little bit of stubble, and thankfully Ryota says nothing about shaving as he straightens Ryo’s hair and shoves a particular bottle of cologne at him.

He almost makes it all the way to the door when Ryota stops him with the blazer and tie. “You need to look classy, Dad. Ueda-san always dresses cool and it won’t do for you to make him look like he has bad taste.”

“Yes, son,” Ryo drones, holding out his arms and lifting his head while Ryota puts the blazer on him and starts in on the tie. “You’re better at this than I am.”

“Because I have to do it every day for school,” Ryota tells him. “And a long time ago, someone awesome taught me how to do it properly the first time.”

Ryo narrows his eyes. “Who’s that?”

“Seriously?” Ryota replies, only choking Ryo a little as he tightens the tie before loosening it. “It was you. You took the first shinkansen to Osaka to be there for my first day of school, don’t you remember? You said, ‘I can only show you this once, so pay attention’. And I did.”

Ryo’s nerves completely calm as he recalls that day. “I was so late to rehearsal, and I had to work an eighteen-hour day on just the few hours of sleep I got on the train.”

“It’s a good thing you came,” Ryota goes on, “because Mom can’t tie ties for shit.”

“Watch your language,” Ryo scolds, but he’s laughing. “May I leave now?”

Ryota makes sure that Ryo has his keys, his wallet, and embarrassingly enough, a condom. Then he steps aside, gives Ryo a manly slug to the arm, and wishes him good luck.

“I’ll do my best,” Ryo mutters as he stands straight and nods firmly to his son before taking his leave.

Ueda’s waiting outside of his building, rocking on his feet until he notices Ryo approaching. He’s much more casually dressed, but somehow he can make camo pants and a sleeveless shirt look upscale. It’s probably the light patterned scarf and fedora contributing to that, along with those rose-colored glasses.

“Ryota picked out my clothes,” Ryo greets him in defense, already shrugging off the blazer. “It’s warmer than I thought it would be tonight.”

“You look fine,” Ueda tells him, his eyes lingering a little too long before they dart to the display on his phone. “I have somewhere I want to take you, so we’ll need to grab something quick at a food cart around here. Do you feel like ramen or takoyaki?”

“Takoyaki,” Ryo answers without thinking, and soon they’re sitting at a food cart and stuffing their faces. Ueda insists on paying, since the vendor knows him and cuts him a deal, and Ryo doesn’t bother to argue. If he has his way, there will be a second date on which he can return the favor.

“Where did you want to take me?” Ryo asks as they fall into step together, trying to sound casual and not at all like he’s nervous. Because he’s not. Not at all.

“The nightclub,” Ueda answers. “As landlord I have a key, but my tenant wanted to have the lighted floor tiles put in tonight, so we have to be out by nine. Everything else is ready, though.”

Ryo pauses as they end up back in front of the building where Ueda lives. “Is it in another direction?”

“No, it’s here,” Ueda tells him. “In the basement. I own this whole building. Makes paying rent easy.”

Ryo laughs, wondering why he didn’t figure that out to begin with as he follows Ueda down a set of clean, newly-cemented stairs next to a signboard that says COMING SOON ~ PINWHEELS. Underneath the electric blue letters is the tagline “come take us for a spin.”

The club is small but elaborate. Ryo can already tell that this will be one of those VIP places with a line around the corner. Shiny leather furniture, lacquered wood bar and matching tables, and an offset stage for bands or karaoke. The dance floor is roped off, probably due to the pending construction, but there’s more than enough room for the two of them to move around.

Ueda hops behind the bar and gestures to the wide display of liquor bottles. “These will be gone for the party, of course, but for now it’s open bar. What’ll you have?”

Ryo considers making some filthy come-on in response, as a joke, but all he does is lean forward and survey the mixers behind the bar. “An orange juice on the rocks with grenadine, please,” he orders. “And a cherry.”

He expects a hard time, but Ueda just makes a big show of mixing the two non-alcoholic liquids together and pouring it over a glass of ice, then plucking a cherry from a jar to place on top. Not that Ryo’s watching or anything, but he’s pretty sure that Ueda just tosses an olive into a glass of ice water for his own drink.

“What do you think?” Ueda asks as he hops back over the counter and gestures to the whole room. “It’s very adult, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Ryo agrees, nodding his head as he takes a sip of his drink. It’s _very_ sweet, much different than when there’s liquor in it. “I don’t know if the other kids’ parents are as cool as me, though. Sakako-chan’s father is super strict, and I don’t think he likes me at all.”

“That’s why they can be invited, too,” Ueda persists. “We can push these tables together and play cards or something while the kids dance and pretend they’re at a grown-up club. Everybody’s chaperoned and it’s a good time for all.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Ryo says, “but you know, it’s _his_ birthday. It looks like I’m going to take this drama role, so I’ll be pretty busy up until the day of. Maybe you can bring him here and see what he thinks?”

“Sure,” Ueda says. “But what do _you_ think?”

Ryo laughs into his drink. “Depends how good the sound system is.”

In response, Ueda reaches behind the bar and pulls out a large remote control. Pop music blares from several speakers, sounding suspiciously like the new generation of Johnny’s songs, and Ryo has to admit the noise is distributed well.

“The first floor of this building is an office,” Ueda explains. “The second floor starts the residential units, and I’ve had insulated ceiling tiles and soundproof flooring installed to prevent any disturbance.”

Ryo nods his head to the music, reminded of a different life he now sees emulated in the popular groups and juniors of today. “These lyrics sound a lot better than when we were singing them,” he comments. “Just as inspirational and fluffy, but more… poetic. I don’t know. They’re better.”

“Thanks,” Ueda replies pointedly, and Ryo gives him a weird look. “It’s good to know I’ve progressed over the years.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryo asks. “I haven’t seen your name on any lyrics lately.”

“Not my name, no,” Ueda says cryptically, then takes Ryo’s glass from his hand and sets it on the counter. “Come with me.”

The wood isn’t yet torn up on the dance floor, just a plain brown that vibrates with the bass of the music as Ueda pulls him out onto it. His hand burns where Ueda makes contact and Ryo’s glad that he hasn’t been drinking anything alcoholic because he might do something stupid again when Ueda turns around to face him and grabs onto both of his hands.

“The tagline of this place is ‘come take us for a spin’,” Ueda translates. “What do pinwheels do?”

“They spin?” Ryo guesses, but as soon as he says the words, Ueda makes them a reality.

The lights and scenery whip by as they spin, both gripping onto the other’s wrists as Ueda twirls them around like two kids on a playground. Ryo starts to get dizzy and manages to stop him, swaying as he continues to hold onto Ueda’s hands to stay upright.

“How old are you?!” he demands, breath heaving.

“Thirty-seven,” Ueda answers, looking completely unaffected by the action. “And for twenty of those years, I’ve been writing pop songs for Johnny.”

Ryo lifts his hand to his head, trying to make his thoughts stand still like the rest of the world should be. “What?”

“I am trying to tell you!” Ueda exclaims, shaking Ryo by the shoulders. “You’re not the only one who has a true rumor. Only mine isn’t nearly as scandalous as yours.”

Ryo’s mind clears as he considers the situation, the most common alias on the Johnny’s songs lately as well as for KAT-TUN back in the day. “Wait a minute,” Ryo says, finally getting it. “You’re SPIN?”

Ueda twirls on his own now, singing along with the song he undoubtedly wrote under a pseudonym he’s had for two decades now. Ryo thinks back to all of the years that he’s seen that name, all of the beautiful lyrics attributed to it that he was jealous of when he started writing songs himself.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asks, almost yelling over the music because Ueda’s halfway across the floor by now. “Isn’t it a big secret?”

“It was at one time,” Ueda replies, spinning back towards Ryo and nearly crashing into him. He holds onto Ryo’s shoulder for balance, and Ryo finds himself hoping that Ueda doesn’t let go. “Now I don’t care who knows. Like your kid, I guess, only on a different level.”

Ryo just stares at him.

“And I trust you,” Ueda goes on. “You’ve shared so much of your private life with me lately that I wanted to give you something in return. Something nobody outside KAT-TUN knew, and not even all of them.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Ryo says honestly. “I’m surprised and kind of embarrassed, because I used to wish I could write lyrics like you.”

Ueda laughs as he squeezes Ryo’s shoulder. “You’re a much better songwriter than me, Nishikido-kun. I write cute pop songs – you write heartfelt rock ballads.”

Ryo wants to argue with him, tell him the two genres aren’t even comparable, but all that comes out is his own name. “Ryo.”

“Hmm?”

“Call me Ryo,” Ryo says clearly, glancing up after the fact. The spotlights reflect in Ueda’s eyes, dancing in the dark spheres that for once aren’t covered by any tinted glasses, and Ryo licks his lips.

“Ryo-kun,” Ueda tests out, looking a bit lost with the unfamiliar name on his tongue. “Ryo-kun.”

And right there, in the middle of a drab dance floor with bright lights shining all around and speakers thumping with bubble gum pop music that his own son won’t even listen to, Ryo grabs Ueda by the face and kisses him.

His mind doesn’t stop spinning, but he doesn’t think he wants it to.

~

“That’s the last of them,” Ueda says as the final pair of parents leave with their teenage kid. “So can I make fun of you now for crying when Ryota-kun and Sakako-chan slow-danced?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ryo insists. “Must have been all of that manufactured smoke getting into my eyes.”

“Whatever, Dad,” Ryota calls out from the bar, where he spins on the stool in front of his mountain of birthday presents. “You totally cried.”

Ueda shrugs and lifts his fist for a long-distance knuckle-punch with Ryota.

“Conspirators, the pair of you,” Ryo declares.

“Okay, okay,” Ueda says, casually sliding his arm around Ryo’s shoulders. “Then can I do this?”

It’s been almost a month, but Ryo still jumps when Ueda kisses him. He never thought those big lips would feel so good against his, tongue flicking into his mouth and taking his breath away. Ryo starts to twist his hands in Ueda’s shirt, then remembers where they are and gently pushes him away.

“Ryota,” he whispers, frantically.

“You’re right,” Ueda says seriously, nodding as he turns to survey the trashed room. “The birthday boy shouldn’t have to help clean up. Ryota-kun, do you remember which apartment is mine?”

Ryota nods. “Can I feed your dogs?”

“I fed them earlier, but I doubt they would turn away a treat or two.” Ueda winks as he tosses Ryota his house keys, then pats his pocket. “I have my other set with me. Lock the door behind you in case I’ve unintentionally rented to psycho killers.”

“Okay,” Ryota says, twirling the keys on his fingers as he places his gifts into a large canvas bag and starts to leave. On his way out, he surprises Ryo with a tight hug around the waist. “Thanks for the party, Dad. It was awesome.”

“Don’t thank me – thank Ueda-san,” Ryo says quickly. “This is his building.”

“You can thank both of us,” Ueda compromises. “My birthday is next, you know.”

Ryota punches knuckles with Ueda, physically this time, and heads for the stairs. Ueda locks up after him and lifts devious eyes to Ryo.

“That bastard Yamashita should have stayed and helped us clean up,” Ryo grumbles, grabbing a trash bag and tossing stray cups and plates into it. Despite having racks of glasses, they’d opted for disposable plasticware, which Ryo is really glad for now.

“He was busy chatting up that single mom,” Ueda points out as he steps closer. “Don’t hate on his game.”

Ryo glares at him. “Pi doesn’t _have_ any game. That’s why he’s thirty-five and single. That poor woman probably couldn’t wait to get out of here.”

“Yeah, that’s why she sent her daughter home with a friend and left with him,” Ueda says, winking at Ryo as he dumps some more trash into the bag. “I can see _everything_ from behind that bar.”

Ryo grunts noncommittally and bends over to grab a napkin off the floor. When he straightens up, he notices Ueda eyeing him and ignores the shiver that courses down his spine. “Like what?”

“Like you kissing Uehara-san’s ass all night,” Ueda teases, “while most of the teenage girls drooled over you.”

“I want him to like me,” Ryo says. “He looks at me like I’m some kind of criminal.”

“He’ll warm up to you,” Ueda assures him. “Most people don’t like you at first. Look how long it took me.”

Ryo lifts a hand to shove at him, with no strength behind it, but Ueda grabs his arm and pulls him close. The trash bag falls to the floor, a cup or two bouncing out as their mouths meet again and Ryo’s focus shifts. Now that they’re alone, his free hand slides up Ueda’s neck to fist in his hair, body arching toward him as he becomes very aware of Ueda’s fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt.

“Now I like you a lot,” Ueda whispers against his lips, drinking down Ryo’s gasp when Ueda touches the skin of his hip directly.

“Here?” is all Ryo can think of to say. The music is still on, although the volume is much lower than it was when the party was going, and the lights are still all over the place.

Ueda kisses him hard, wordlessly answering the question, and Ryo can’t bring himself to care enough to pull away. Ryota’s upstairs in Ueda’s apartment, and they’re the only ones here – isn’t it okay to let go of his inhibitions and finally give in to what they both want?

“Pick a place,” Ueda hisses, abandoning Ryo’s mouth to drag his lips down Ryo’s jaw and settle in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “On the bar? On the stage? On the chair where Uehara-san was sitting?”

“Dirty,” Ryo mutters, smirking as he feels Ueda hard against him. “I underestimated you, Tatsuya.”

“Pick a place,” Ueda says into his neck. “So I can fuck you against it.”

Ryo wants to protest, but Ueda’s hands are all over him, mouth hot on his skin and Ryo’s brain suddenly drops into his pants. Ueda squeezes his cock through the denim and Ryo doesn’t have any fight in him, slitting his eyes open to sharpen his vision on the closest surface.

“That wall over there,” Ryo breathes. “That is, if you can hold me up for that long.”

Ueda laughs, the noise vibrating Ryo’s body as he feels himself hoisted up off the ground. “I’m not that old.”

Then he’s crashing into the wall, pressed between a hard place and Ueda’s body that seems equally as hard as Ueda grinds into him. Their mouths fuse together and it feels like they’re animals in the wild, each tearing at each other’s clothes as Ueda pins Ryo to the wall with his hips. Shirts are tossed carelessly aside and Ryo’s pants fall to the ground, Ueda’s low groan directed into Ryo’s ear when Ryo reaches down to take his cock in hand.

“Ryo,” Ueda gasps, grabbing a few items from his own pants before they follow the rest of their clothes. “Do you know how hard it was to turn you down that night you were drunk?”

“I wish you would have said something then,” Ryo tells him, hissing as a slick finger pokes between his legs. “We could have been doing this for months.”

“I thought you didn’t like me,” Ueda says. “You were so ashamed.”

“I was ashamed because I thought _you_ didn’t like _me_ ,” Ryo contests, then groans as Ueda pushes two fingers inside him. “Whatever, we’re both stupid, enough talking.”

To his credit, Ueda doesn’t speak again. Unless moaning counts, which it doesn’t because Ryo gets hotter with each small, high-pitched noise from the other man. His body jerks when Ueda touches something deep inside him, followed by a moan of his own that has Ueda fingering him harder and grinding faster.

“Tatsuya, hurry up,” Ryo pants, wrapping his arms around Ueda’s neck because Ueda’s grip on him is loosening. “Hurry up and fuck me.”

Ueda grunts, slipping in a third finger as he tries to roll on a condom and lube himself one-handed. He lets out a long, drawn-out moan when he finally touches himself. “God, Ryo.”

“Come _on_ ,” Ryo grumbles impatiently. “Dammit, Tatsuya, do it already.”

Ueda shuts him up by grabbing him by the thighs and pushing in, both of them crying out as they unite. Ryo’s grip on Ueda’s neck tightens, pulling him close as Ueda buries his face in Ryo’s throat and rocks the rest of the way in. It’s too much too fast and Ryo’s grateful when Ueda pauses for a bit, giving him a chance to adjust as Ueda’s staggered breath on his skin shows that he needs it too.

Then he moves, hips rolling back and forth as he withdraws enough to slam back in, effectively fucking Ryo into the wall while Ryo just holds on. Sweat shines on Ueda’s back, damp under his fingers as he groans into Ueda’s hair, the tip of Ueda’s cock grazing that spot on nearly every thrust. Ryo’s own length bounces with Ueda’s efforts, hardening even more when it bumps against either of their chests.

“Ryo,” Ueda moans, his voice cracking as he moves faster. “Come with me.”

He doesn’t have to tell Ryo twice. It takes a lot of effort to detach one of his hands from Ueda’s back, but once it’s wrapped around himself he strokes like it’s a race. He feels his body tighten around Ueda’s cock and it has Ueda pushing harder, both of their breaths and voices rising until Ryo throws his head back and comes, spilling over his fingers as Ueda sharply thrusts a few more times before falling still, gasping Ryo’s name as he pulses inside him.

Ryo’s not sure how they both end up on the floor amidst their clothes, but when he opens his eyes, he and Ueda are curled up against the wall. Ueda looks completely out of breath, but he smiles when he catches Ryo’s gaze.

“We should finish cleaning up,” Ryo says.

“We should get dressed,” Ueda counters.

“That too.” Ryo cringes as he tries to get up. “ _Ow_. It’s been way too long since I’ve had sex like that. How am I supposed to explain to my son why Dad is limping?”

“He’s fifteen,” Ueda tells him, wincing as he pulls off the condom and tosses it into the trash bag. “I think he’ll figure it out.”

Ryo sighs, left with no energy to argue. “At least he seems to be okay with us… you know. Together.”

“Okay with it?” Ueda repeats. “This is his doing, you know. He’s been plotting to set us up since he first moved in with you.”

“Seriously?” Ryo asks, grabbing carelessly for his clothes. “That little pimp.”

Ueda laughs. “Clearly the apple falls far from the tree this time.”

Ryo thinks about being offended, but he leans over for a kiss instead.

Maybe he’ll buy Ryota a puppy after all.

> ~BONUS~

“I don’t see why we need to be here,” Ryo mutters around the pigtails in his face. “We could have just as easily watched the girls at their _house_.”

“But then they wouldn’t get to see their new sister right away!” Ueda replies in an annoying baby voice, playing patty-cake with the four-year-old while the eight-year-old gives him a hairdo to match theirs. “Huh, little Akanishis?”

“You’re going to have to learn our names eventually,” the six-year-old chides him from where she’s bouncing on Ryo’s lap. “I’m Maya. And Daddy thinks we’re getting a younger brother. ”

“A brother would be fun!” screeches the four-year-old. “And my name is Seira!”

“I’m Akanishi Erika,” the oldest introduces herself shyly. “And the baby is Meri.”

Two-year-old Meri squeals happily from Ryota’s arms. Ryo smirks at the displeased look on his son’s face – this is the best form of birth control _ever_.

“Meri-chan won’t be the baby for long, Eri-nee,” Maya informs her sister. “We’ll have a new baby soon.”

“Then Mommy says no more!” Seira yells. “She said Daddy is getting snipped!”

Ryo, Ryota, and Ueda all cringe in sympathy.

“Keep your voice down, Seira,” Erika says gently. “You’re hurting their ears.”

Seira’s shrieks are nothing compared to Rina’s, which can be heard all the way out in the waiting room. Another difference is that Rina’s words are much more vulgar and directed towards Jin’s incompetence at everything, with sporadic jabs at her brother for no reason other than that Jin dragged him into the delivery room with them.

“Hey,” Ueda says suddenly, obviously trying to distract the girls. “Do you want to see pictures of my dogs?”

The girls cheer and crowd around Ueda as he pulls out his phone. He names them off, but there’s no recognition in any of the girls. “Do you not know about your father’s old group?”

Four pigtailed heads shake from side to side, although Ryo suspects that the youngest is only doing it because her big sisters are.

“I know Daddy is a producer now,” Erika says. “He works from home so he can spend time with us. I remember when he used to be gone a lot, singing for everyone in the world, but he was by himself.”

Ueda smirks as he scrolls to a different folder on his phone. “Once upon a time, your daddy was the A in a boyband called KAT-TUN.”

“How do you know?” Maya asks with big eyes.

“Because I was the U,” Ueda tells her.

“Was Uncle Tomo in the group, too?” Seira asks.

Erika rolls her eyes. “KAT-TUN doesn’t have a Y in it, Seira.”

Ryo leans over to Ryota. “I bet we could sneak out and get some food,” he whispers.

“I heard that,” Ueda says, cutting his eyes to Ryo. “And lucky for you, I’m hungry.”

“I’m hungry, too,” says Maya, rubbing her belly in an exact imitation of her father.

“Me, too,” add Erika, Seira, and even Meri, which leads to Ryo and Ryota standing in line in the hospital cafeteria with seven bentos and two bags of drinks.

“I don’t know how Jin does this,” Ryo grumbles. “And he’s going to have _another_ one?”

“I am never having kids,” Ryota says firmly, and Ryo grins all the way back to the waiting room.

Ueda’s only midway through the History of KAT-TUN, but the girls are hanging on his every word _quietly_. He happens to have a few promotional videos on his phone, which all four girls watch happily while pointing out their father at every opportunity and making fun of his hair.

Finally, Yamapi trips down the hallway, tangled up in his scrubs as he scrambles to find his nieces and friends. “It’s actually a boy!” he announces. “He has a real penis and everything! I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Don’t say ‘penis’ in front of my daughters!” Jin yells after him.

Yamapi pauses, tilting his head towards the group. “Are you listening to Real Face?”

“A brother?” Erika asks timidly, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “We have a little brother?”

“Yay!” Seira screams. “I’ll share all of my toys with him.”

Meri claps her hands together and cheers.

“That poor, poor child,” Ryo says under his breath, and Ryota nods from next to him.

Soon they’re all squished up against the nursery window where Ryo’s seen every single one of Jin’s kids in one of those bassinets. This is the first time Baby Akanishi has had a little blue blanket, though.

“Good job,” he tells Jin, who’s glued to the glass. “I knew you had some Y chromosomes in you.”

“A boy,” Jin says, his eyes shining with happiness. “Finally.”

He snaps out of his trance when Yamapi runs up and slugs him in the arm. “Your turn.”

They switch places naturally and Yamapi fawns over his first nephew while Jin tends to his wife.

“Hey,” Ryota says to Ryo as they get ready to leave. “Were you at the hospital when I was born?”

“I sure was,” Ryo tells him. “I almost didn’t make it, but luckily you gave your mother a hard time. I like to think you were waiting for me.”

“I totally was,” Ryota says with a grin.

“Oh, wow,” Yamapi says, and both Ryo and Ryota turn to look at him. “When Ryota-kun smiles, he looks exactly like you.”

“Because he got my awesome genes,” Ryo says.

Ryota turns back to the new baby boy. “What did Uncle Jin and Aunt Rina name him?”

“Justin,” Yamapi replies, tongue slipping on the English. “Rina said that if it was a boy, Jin could name him whatever he wanted, although I don’t think she actually expected it to happen.”

Ryo snorts and thinks that Jin will end up paying for this one, regardless of any bets involved. Nothing is fair in that house.

“I’m glad you already have a kid,” Ueda tells Ryo later, when they’re packing to spend the week at the zoo while Rina recovers. “I always thought I would have to miss out on that.”

“You don’t miss out on anything if you’re friends with Jin,” Ryo says. “He calls you at five-thirty in the morning with their first words and video-records them potty-training.”

Ueda laughs. “I might have to pass on that. Why is Ryota spared from this baby-sitting adventure, again?”

“He has school,” Ryo explains. “And Nala is still a puppy, so someone needs to be home with her every day.”

“That’s cute,” Ueda says, slinging an arm around Ryo’s waist as he tosses a few things in the bag. “Simba and Nala. You’re one big happy Lion King family.”

Ryo pokes him. “You’re part of it, too, you know.”

“I refuse to be the girl lion,” Ueda says firmly as he embraces Ryo from behind and lowers his voice to a whisper. “We both know that’s not how it works, anyway.”

“It’s still my pride,” Ryo says stubbornly.

“Whatever you say, Mufasa.”

Yamapi’s pissed when they show up late, hair messed up and grinning obviously, but Ryo can’t bring himself to feel guilty. Ten years ago, if someone had told him he would be watching Disney movies with four little girls who may or may not insist on curling his hair and making up his face (he’ll never tell), he might have bought that. Add Ueda to the mix, though, and Ryo would have called the men in the white coats to take away another crazy.

Clearly he’s gotten a new spin on life.


End file.
